Three Colorado 'craft' brewers among 'top 50' largest in country

The Brewers Association has released its annual craft brewing industry production report, revealing that three Colorado brewers are among the 50 largest craft brewers in the country.

Before digging into the results, it's important to note that an American 'craft brewer' is defined as both small and independent – 'small' meaning an annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less and that production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships, and then 'independent,' meaning less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

The highest-ranking Colorado brewer on the list of the 50 top spots was Tilray Beer Brands, which actually operates in six other states, as well. Ranking sixth overall, Tilray Beer Brands is known as the owner of Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado, having purchased the brand along with several others in the summer of 2023.

Ranking 9th on the overall list was Monster Brewing – yep, it's part of the well-known Monster Beverage Corporation. Monster Brewing operates breweries in five states and is known in Colorado for Oskar Blues Brewery.

While the two aforementioned craft brewers operate in multiple states, the third brewer on the 'top 50' list is Colorado through-and-through – Odell Brewing Company, ranking 25th overall. Find Odell in Fort Collins.

Read the full Brewers Association report here.